1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for music playback. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for coordinated and synchronized music playback in local spatial proximity with wireless ad hoc networks.
2. Description of Related Art
Traditional portable musical entertainment, best exemplified by Walkman and portable CD players, is usually confined to individual listeners. In general, for a group of music listeners to share mutual music listening, the only way is to play music loudly to the open space. However, it might cause nuisances to other persons, who have no intention for listening, while the music is playing loudly. Therefore, it is advantageous for music sharers to confine mutual music sharing to only persons who intend to listen.
With leaping advances in wireless networking and digital music technologies such as Bluetooth and MP3, portable musical entertainment can be shared and appreciated simultaneously by more than one person without playing music out loudly. Furthermore, music sharers can decide to appreciate mutual musical entertainment simultaneously with only the chosen sharers.
Prior art relating to music carrying radio lacks the mechanisms and methods to achieve the aforementioned objective. For example, Bottum (U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,569) uses cellular communication systems to deliver asynchronous audio to subscribers. There is no mechanism to ensure synchronous audio reception and playback among the logged-on subscribers. Cluts (U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,876) asks user to select songs from a collection to form a preferred song list. The computer server then analyzes this list to suggest more songs similar to user preference. There is no method to suggest how two or multiple users can match their mutual preference to music.
In view of the foregoing, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus that use wireless ad-hoc networks to coordinate and synchronize song playback between two or more users who wish to share mutual music listening.
The present invention details a novel application of wireless networking and digital music technologies to achieve coordinated and synchronized music playback among peer listeners connected by wireless ad-hoc networks. Two or more listeners in local proximity allowed by short-range wireless transmission can participate and listen to the same song at the same time. Moreover, the present invention allows listeners in the transmission range to discover each other through profile matching. A high matching score may indicate similar preference or taste to a certain music style thereby easily locating mutual interests, which would not have been possible.
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a method and an apparatus for coordinated and synchronized music playback in local spatial proximity with wireless ad hoc networks. The playback/listening system includes at least two or more playback/listening apparatus used respectively by at least two or more users. The playback/listening apparatus enhanced with profile matching functionality comprises four key components: a wireless transceiver, a random access controller, a profile storage and matching unit, and a music playback unit. The playback/listening apparatus can operate in at least two modes, listening mode and advertising mode, for profile matching. These two modes constitute two basic and necessary functionality.
The method for coordinated and synchronized music playback in local spatial proximity with wireless ad hoc networks includes the following steps: establishing a wireless ad-hoc network between at least a first listening apparatus used by the first user and a second listening apparatus used by the second user; sending a first message from the first apparatus to a public channel; scanning the public channel and receiving the first message to the second apparatus; responding to the first apparatus by sending a second message from the second apparatus to direct the first apparatus to a private channel; sending a first profile from the first apparatus to the private channel; performing matching evaluation between the first profile and a second profile of the second apparatus in the second apparatus based on a specific criterion; sending the second profile to the first apparatus; performing matching evaluation between the second profile and the first profile in the first apparatus; selecting a song; synchronizing playing the song; scanning the public channel and receiving the first message to a third apparatus used by a third user over the wireless ad-hoc network; responding to the third apparatus by sending a third message from the first apparatus to direct the third apparatus to the private channel; and synchronizing playing the song in the apparatuses.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for coordinated and synchronized music playback in local spatial proximity through wireless ad hoc networks. With the apparatus of the present invention, peer listeners can share music listening without playing the music out loudly.
The present invention allows listeners in the transmission range to discover one another through profile matching, thereby locating the music public based on matched profiles. The present invention therefore has potential applications in sociality, merchandising, or marketing.
The invention and the attendant advantages thereof will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.